Sony Confuses My Mum

…and she has a PhD. Here’s the adorable email I had waiting in my inbox this morning.

Subject: blu-ray
So, Mark, this would replace a dvd…so I would need a new player? I had heard about it at best buy yesterday and did not understand. Are there blue ray tvs? or is that a whole other thing? Mum

My response, after a brief chuckle:

Subject: Re: blu-ray Wow, that email made me laugh. And it’s not your fault – chalk it up to lousy, confusing marketing.

Blu-ray is just Sony’s high definition version of DVD so all it needs is an ordinary high definition television (HDTV). There are no blue ray tvs…that’s the part that made me laugh. It made me realise that there are probably thousands of people searching Best Buy every day for “blue ray tvs.”

To confuse the topic further, Blu-ray had a competitor until just a few weeks ago called “HD DVD.” But it looks like everyone is giving up on that format at the moment, so Blu-ray is your best bet. We’ll talk about options later, but your first step would be to get an HDTV. Blu-ray makes no sense without one.

- Mark

PS. Blu-ray uses a blue laser, hence the name. But I guess you can’t trademark “blue.”

PSS. I’m posting your email on giz. Love you!

I don’t know about you, but right about now, I’m wishing that Toshiba won (if only for their more aptly named format).

Oh, and needless to say anyone who laughs AT my mum instead of laughing WITH her will be banned with extreme prejudice.